Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, but they have been rejected. As a Government party Senator, it takes a lot for me to table amendments to a Bill. It is a very unusual process. In fact, this is my first time in the Seanad to have done so. I have no skin in this game. The people involved are not from my part of the world at all, but I thought we needed fairness regarding the decision itself. I spoke at length in the previous debate about trying to get fairness for community, society and for these people who will be out of business because of a Government agreement. We spoke about a just transition when it comes to other issues and a whole-of-government approach, but it appears we had not joined up the dots on a just transition for the 35 workers involved in the sector. That is a significant issue.

The previous speaker is correct. These people are working within the law and, for no reason bar a change in the law, they will be unemployed. The people involved live in remote rural areas. There is no Internet or Facebook there. We need to find how we are going to sustain these people going forward so that they have a quality of life and the communities around them can survive. It is very important we get clarity within the Bill that the process can be protected. Otherwise, we are failing society itself and I would be deeply concerned about that.

Another issue on which I tabled an amendment that was also ruled out of order was about how we can work with the Department and the family farms involved to get a fair package so they can move on to their next enterprise, whatever that will be. It is not about mink farming. This is about what happens to the next entity. This is enabling legislation. That is the real issue here. We do not know what will happen in the next decade or so regarding other issues in agriculture. This is a dramatic sea change in the past year.I do not know where this is going to stop. We need to put in place a fair process whereby everyone has the ability to work together. Realistically, the Department holds all the cards here. Realistically, the Department has the ability to draft legislation and, on the other side, to negotiate what it wants. A fairer approach with some kind of mediation process would be much more appropriate. You cannot draft legislation and mediate at the same time. It just does not make logical sense. As I said, it is very rare I would table an amendment, and I have tabled two to this Bill because we need to get clarity on this. Even though there are small numbers involved here, I am fighting for the principle of the issue.